


the trick to staying angry

by ohlawsons



Series: cat nua [8]
Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: F/M, mentions of shitty treatment of godlike children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 18:12:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13980645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohlawsons/pseuds/ohlawsons
Summary: or; how to hold a grudge against someone you've never metIn which another member of the Eleri family shows up at Caed Nua.





	the trick to staying angry

**Author's Note:**

> For @pillarspromptsweekly on tumblr, prompt 0019: family
> 
> the whole "abandoning an infant in the forest" thing doesn't really do it for neria. for The Whole Story on the eleri family drama, i've got a tumblr post [here](https://ohyashas.tumblr.com/post/170835968798/30-day-watcher-challenge-neria-eleri-6)

Neria liked to think she was a reasonable person.

Sure, she might have thrown a few uncalled-for punches in her lifetime, and maybe she did leap headfirst into the opportunity to rule a haunted, ancient, adra-dragon-infested keep, and perhaps she had once looked upon the physical manifestation of Ondra and told her to fuck off.

But she _could_ be reasonable, sometimes, and the fact that she was currently cradling a dog who was as big as she was, while standing on the bridge just outside the gates of Caed Nua in the middle of the night and shouting obscenities at the hunters who had attempted to shoot at her and Penelope, well -- it was _clearly_ a situation that called for such measures, and not any sort of representation of her typical level-headedness.

At least, that’s what she was trying to explain to Edér.

“If you shoot at me, I’m gonna shoot back. That’s just how it goes,” she reasoned, finally relinquishing her one-sided yelling match with the pair of hunters that had long since disappeared back into the forest. “You shoot at my dog? I’m still shooting, and you’ll live just long enough to regret it.” Neria paused, pressing her lips into a thin frown as Penelope twisted in her arms and began licking at the side of her face. “And you so much as look at any of my cats the wrong way,” she added, voice once again rising as she directed the words back towards the forest, “and you’re just asking for an invitation to get up close and personal with my war hammer.”

Edér let out a quiet sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a soft laugh. “Well, you sure put the fear of Galawain into two scared kids.” He took a few lazy steps towards Neria, stopping just behind her and reaching out to scratch behind one of Penelope’s ears. “How long’s it been since you got outta here?”

She let her shoulders droop, tightening her hold on Penelope as she began wriggling in  her arms. Of _course_ that would be the first thing he would ask; Edér had been back in Caed Nua for all of ten minutes and had already figured out how cooped up and irritable she had been feeling. “Twin Elms.”

“When we went in the spring, or since then?”

“No, this spring,” she clarified, giving up on trying to keep a hold of Penelope as she leapt down, bounding right over to Edér. “When all the druids yelled at me and I spent the rest of the week pouting with the Fangs.”

“When you tackled a bear.”

“Hey, at least it wasn’t a staelgar this time.”

Edér shook his head, giving Neria an affectionate smile. “It’s been a while since we’ve been up to Stalwart,” he commented, voice overly casual. “I’m sure there’s some real important Watcher business up there to deal with.”

Neria gave a quiet laugh, already feeling some of the built up stress and tension beginning to melt away at the possibility of spending a few days away from the keep with Edér. “Thank the gods you showed up, because I don’t think I could handle any more of this official shit.” With a grin, she reached up to tug Edér down by his shirt, pressing up on her tip toes to kiss him. “You up for leaving first thing in the morning?” she asked as she pulled away, not yet relinquishing her grip on his shirt. She would’ve suggested that they leave right then, but she knew Edér had been on the road all day and besides, it _was_ the middle of the night, which wouldn’t do much to support her claim that she was, overall, a reasonable person.

“Whenever you want,” he promised, reaching down to take her free hand in his. “As long as it’s after a good night’s rest.”

Already leading them both back into the keep, Neria pursed her lips in an attempt to hide her grin. “Well, I can certainly promise you a good night of _something_.” Glancing back over her shoulder to look for Penelope, Neria caught Edér’s amusement out  of the corner of her eye. She let out a shrill whistle, calling, “C’mon, girl. Time to go back inside.” They’d made it only a few steps past the gate, Neria still tugging Edér along with single-minded purpose, when she was flagged down by a guard.

It was one of the dwarves on guard at the other gate — young, just a kid, really — who came bounding up to the pair with an uncertain expression beneath his helm. “There’s, uhh—” His eyes went wide as he sputtered to a stop just before them, giving a brisk bow. “Uh, my Lady Eleri, there’s someone asking to speak with you,” he forced out, breathing heavily.

“Slow down, kid,” Edér told him, as Neria’s grip on his hand tightened in frustration. “Who’s here to see the Watcher?”

“And can it wait until morning?” Neria added.

The guard glanced between the two of them. “He, um, he says he’s family and that it can’t wait, on account of all the…” He motioned off towards the gate they’d just come through. “All the yelling.”

“He’s _family_ , is he.”

“That’s what he said, my lady. Says his name is Derrin Eleri. He, uh,” the dwarf paused to glance back over his shoulder, “he also says he knows someone named Myra?”

 _That_ was just enough to pique Neria’s interest, even despite the irritation that had been building within her. She buried her face in her free hand, groaning as she debated her options; Edér gave her hand a light squeeze, providing just enough comfort and reassurance that she looked up at the guard with a sigh. “Let him in,” she decided, voice weary, “and tell him to meet me in the main hall. I’ll… hear him out, I guess.”

“Yes, my lady.”

With another loud groan, Neria took a step back to stand closer to Edér, letting her head rest against him. “What if we just left _now_?” she suggested. “Ran away to the White March so that I didn’t have to deal with this?”

“Tempting,” he admitted. “But maybe this is a good thing.”

“Surprise family visits are _never_ a good thing.”

* * *

 

Neria wasn’t sure what she expected out of the meeting, but the uncertainty was leaving her nervous and jittery. She’d grabbed a platter of food from the kitchen — just a simple plate with an array of meats and cheeses and breads — and called for some tea to be brought to the main hall. She was sitting with Edér at one of the long tables in the hall, slowly tearing at a piece of bread as her foot tapped with anxious energy.

When one of the doors creaked open, Neria jumped to her feet, heart pounding as she got her first glimpse of the man claiming to be family; he was one of the wild orlan, with tan, greying fur and a vibrant, wide-eyed green stare. His clothing was Vailian in style, with a billowing jacket and low-cut fuchsia shirt. He surveyed the hall as he entered, turning to Neria after a moment with a toothy grin.

“Ah! My dear, you have certainly grown. And grown up well, it seems.” As he spoke, he plodded around the table until he was standing behind Neria, inspecting her from head to toe before making his way back around the table.

“Uh, hello.” Neria glanced over at Edér as she once again took a seat, then motioned uncertainly towards the platter. “We have food. My guards tell me you know Myra?”

He nodded, climbing onto the bench on the opposite side of the table. “Yes, yes, she’s an old friend. Not as old as me, but close enough. It’s very hard to track you down when you keep moving, you know,” he admonished, brow furrowing as he pointed a judgmental finger in Neria’s direction.

“I’m… sorry?” Even with as determined as she had originally been to remain steadfast in her anger against her blood relatives, Neria was finding that Derrin was odd enough that she was more _confused_ than upset. “We’ve been living at Caed Nua for, what? At least two years now.” She turned to Edér for confirmation, but he just shrugged.

“ _We_?” Derrin echoed, squinting at the pair for a moment before his eyes went wide and his ears flicked in sudden understanding. “Ah, yes, Myra did mention you were having relations with a human. Careful, they’re a fussy bunch.”

“Myra said _what_?”

He reached for the plate of food, sliding it across the table to sit right in front of him, and popped a piece of cheese into his mouth. “I believe her exact words were something rather more like ‘proper suitor’ but that implies someone a bit more…” He paused, giving Edér the same critical once-over that he’d given Neria. “Cultured.”

“’Suitor’ _is_ a bit fancy,” Edér admitted with another little shrug. “Though I think I prefer it to the alternative.”

Scowling, Neria slid the platter back and out of Derrin’s reach. “He’s plenty fucking _cultured_. And not that it matters, but all of the ‘proper’ suitors I’ve met have mostly been scum, and none of them could ever even come _close_ to holding their own in a fight against me.”

Edér leaned over slightly, remarking with a grin, “Didn’t realize that was part of the requirements.”

“Oh, sweetheart. You wouldn’t stand a chance against me,” she assured him, tilting her head up to look at him with a saccharine smile. “You get a free pass because I love you.” Turning back to Derrin, Neria demanded, “Look, all I want to know is who exactly you are and why you’re here.”

Unfazed, Derrin reached across the table again, sliding a piece of bread off of the plate. “Your mother, Thea, is my sister. Myra was in town around the time you were born, doing some work for one of the wealthier humans in the area. I protested when your parents wanted to give you up, and went to Myra when they actually went through with it. I stayed in touch over the years, checked in whenever I could. I knew you were in good hands.” He was standing on the bench, now, leaning over the table to pick at the platter of food.

Neria had reached for Edér’s hand, almost reflexively; none of this was new information, really, but hearing it from someone other than Myra was almost like hearing it for the first time all over again. “Then why didn’t Myra ever talk about you?”

“Why would she?” he asked with a shrug, speaking through a mouthful of bread. “From what I hear, your hatred of your family is just short of _murderous_. I’ve stayed away as long as I have for the same reasons. I don’t even plan on staying, actually — I was just passing through and thought I’d drop by, so feel free to write to Myra and see what she says. I’ve never liked the fact that you had to grow up without a family.”

“Fuck off. I _did_ grow up with a family.”

“Yes, you had Myra, and she’s wonderful,” Derrin agreed. “I don’t want to disparage the love and effort she put into raising you, especially since you weren’t even her child. But, you could’ve had parents, and grandparents, and a half dozen aunts and uncles. Not to mention three beautiful siblings. I’d like to take the time to get to know you, so don’t be surprised if I stop by again soon, but for now I will, as you so eloquently suggested, fuck off.” With a deep nod towards Neria, Derrin grabbed another piece of cheese and simply left, walking through the hall and out the doors before Neria even really had a chance to process what he’d said.

“Bye?” she called out as he left, just before the doors slammed shut. She looked from the doors to Edér and back, shoulders slumping in confusion. “What on Eora…?”

“If all your family’s like that, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to meet them.”

“No, I think it would be way worse than I thought.”  



End file.
